What is this all about?
la.foodblogging is a food blog about dining in Los Angeles. We cover places we like, and perhaps a few we don’t. Think about what we write here like a recommendation by a friend, water cooler talk at work, something informative, and personal at the same time.
What Is Written on la.foodblogging?
Nearly anything that deals with food in and around Los Angeles. This can include restaurant reviews, new finds at a local market, notification of food related events, local culinary news, etc. For instance, a writer could visit Trader Joe’s and find that their favorite wine is on sale and advise others to pop in and try it. A new noodle shop could pop up in an overlooked strip mall and inspire a writer to describe the smells and tastes in great detail. There may be an upcoming food tasting event or ethnic festival that a writer thinks others might be interested in. Maybe the writer cooked a creative meal at home using local ingredients and wants to share the recipe and solicit suggestions. All of these things are what makes up the food landscape of Los Angeles.
Who Pays for the Meals You Write About?
The reviews are paid for by the writers themselves. la.foodblogging does not reimburse the writers for their meals; the cost of the meal relative to the quality of the food and the service is part of the evaluation of the experience. There is one review on the site which was paid for by the restaurant. That experience taught me that there is truely no way to impartially review a restaurant when you are eating for free and the restaurant knows that you are going to be writing about that particular experience. Therefore, we have a hard policy that we do not write reviews for comped meals.
Who Writes For la.foodblogging?
Normal people. Well, we think they’re normal, but they all have a desire to share their food experiences with a larger audience.
How Do I Contribute a Review to the Site?
We keep a number of writers on the site as contributors. In general, contributors are expected to write regularly for the site. We like to add people who have been blogging for a while, so that they have an idea about what it takes to make regular posts and also have a general familiarity with blogging software. If you are interested in contributing to the site, we generally ask for at least three reviews of places around Los Angeles. This serves to let us know that you can write and also gives you a three post head start if you are added.
I would like you to mention my restaurant/product/event on the site, how do I do that?
We are focused on providing our audience with an authentic, personal view of Los Angeles dining. Unfortunately, PR does not fit into that goal. It’s not that we don’t like PR people, but pretty much the only way to make sure that we will not mention your event is to send us an email about it. We talk about things we find interesting, and things that we find ourselves. I would be annoyed if I had a friend who kept talking to me about things because a PR person suggested that he and his friends “might be interested in blah blah blah…”; the same goes for this site.
Haven’t you promoted events in the past?
Yes. I have promoted a few events with the understanding that we would give away passes to the event on the site, passing the goodwill along to our readers. In the long run, I still think that it’s not germane to the site. We may do it again in the future, but for now we are non-promotion site.
You wrote something about my restaurant that isn’t true, please remove it.
If there is something factually incorrect about your restaurant such as location, prices, phone number, etc, I would be happy to correct it, please email me. If there is something in the review that you just don’t agree with, it’s best to identify yourself in the comments and leave a note there. That way, readers can see two sides of the story. Unlike some other food based review sites, we heartily welcome the proprietors into the discussion. That being said, blatant shilling for your place, especially under an assumed name, is heartily frowned upon.
Will you link to my site?
Possibly. Again, it should be something that adds to the personal discussion of Los Angeles dining. We don’t do link exchanges and if we link to you, there is no expectation that you will link back to us.
How do you make money from lafb?
We don’t. I provide the hosting fees and labor out of my pocket and the writers contribute uncompensated. We keep the site going because we like eating great food in Los Angeles and sharing about it. I personally like the posts about places I haven’t been to and the commenters are an invaluable part of the equation as well.
How come you only write about the Westside?
Well, we don’t always write about the Westside, but admittedly our reviews tend to congregate in that region. The only reason for that is that many of our contributors live/work in that area and therefore that’s where they eat most of the time. If you want to help us out by covering another region, please let me know.
You didn’t answer my question.
That’s not a question, but I see what you are getting at. Send me an email. If it’s a broad question, I will add it to the FAQ.
How can I contact you?
Via email: foodblogging [at] gmail.com
Thanks For Stopping by, your comments and suggestions are appreciated
-Jonah
